March 7, 2025 – In response to the devastation caused by the Eaton and Palisades wildfires, the Foundation for the Los Angeles Community Colleges has partnered with Beam to implement the LA Strong: Disaster Response Fund, providing emergency financial assistance to students and educators who have been impacted by the wildfires.
These catastrophic events have caused widespread disruptions to housing and access to essential resources, creating unprecedented challenges for the communities served by the Los Angeles Community College District. The LA Strong: Disaster Response Fund delivers critical relief, including funding for temporary housing, food, clothing, transportation, and childcare to provide immediate support for LACCD students and employees while preparing for the long-term recovery ahead.
“Today marks two months since the start of the devastating fires in the Los Angeles area. As one of the largest community college districts in the nation, LACCD serves students from every background, many of whom were already facing financial hardship before these devastating fires,” said Kelly King, Executive Director of the Foundation for the Los Angeles Community Colleges. “Given the scale of the disaster, we knew we needed a trusted and effective partner, like Beam, to ensure that our response would be fair, fast, and impactful. The partnership with Beam allows us to process applications quickly and deliver aid where it’s needed most.”
Within 48 hours of collaborating, Beam and The Foundation launched the online application for students seeking direct aid. Beam’s platform enabled the Foundation to quickly stand up a process, collect key data, and securely distribute the relief funds via the recipient’s preferred payment method.
“For many students, even a minor financial emergency can mean the difference between staying enrolled and dropping out," said David Helene, founder and CEO of Beam. "At a time when so many individuals have had their entire lives uprooted by the devastation of these wildfires, we’re proud to partner with the Foundation for the Los Angeles Community Colleges to help impacted students and employees quickly get the support they need to chart a path to recovery. We’re grateful to have a role in ensuring that education remains a viable avenue for the LA community, not a casualty of crisis.”
The LA Strong: Disaster Response Fund has already raised nearly $3 million, thanks to generous contributions from individual donors and organizations such as The Ballmer Group, ECMC Foundation, California Community Foundation, College Futures Foundation, and many others.
The Foundation has already distributed more than $1 million in grants to impacted individuals and regional partner foundations, including $263,000 through the Beam platform. Through its partnership with Beam, the Foundation has been able to streamline the distribution of these funds, ensuring that aid reaches recipients swiftly and securely, minimizing administrative burdens and maximizing impact.
To support the LA Strong: Disaster Response Fund and provide direct relief to students and employees affected by the wildfires, visit www.fundlacolleges.org/fire to make a donation today. Every contribution helps ensure that the LACCD community has the resources it needs to recover and move forward.
About Foundation for LA Community Colleges
The Foundation works to remove barriers to education for the diverse students and communities the Los Angeles Community College District serves. We envision a future where all Angelenos seeking to broaden their knowledge and skills can access affordable, high-quality postsecondary education and career training, regardless of their background. Learn more about our impact at www.fundlacolleges.org/2024.
About Beam
Beam is a civic tech organization that powers digital infrastructure for more resilient and just communities. Founded in 2016, Beam enables governments, institutions, and nonprofits to quickly and securely deliver cash assistance to people and organizations experiencing an urgent need for support. By supporting programs that catalyze economic development, we help create pathways to prosperity and communities that thrive.
Beam’s configurable cloud-based software helps organizations manage human services and social support programs with complex workflows, from collecting applications to quickly delivering flexible payments to those in need. Our approach helps agencies streamline program administration while addressing common challenges in cash assistance programs, like administrative burden, inefficiency, caseworker capacity, compliance risk, and lack of transparency.
Since 2020, we’ve helped organizations deliver more than $350 million in cash assistance to 300,000+ people across the U.S. Learn more about our impact at https://www.bybeam.co/2024-impact-report.
